The skids have been greased for the Crew to sign a designated player. One day after coach Robert
Warzycha said the club had offered a contract to an unnamed player, the Crew waived three from its
roster, including defender Shaun Francis, who had filled one of the club’s eight international
spots.

With the secondary transfer window open, the Crew has opened the roster room and salary-cap
space for a signing.“We have to position ourselves for the possibility that we’re going to sign
another international player,” Crew president and general manager Mark McCullers said.

The Crew also parted ways with defenders Aubrey Perry and Korey Veeder, bringing the number of
players on the roster to the league maximum of 30.Included on that list is Costa Rican forward
Jairo Arrieta, who is scheduled to join the club in the next few days once his paperwork is
completed. The club was able to exceed the league maximum by placing goalkeeper William Hesmer and
forward Tommy Heinemann on the season-ending injury list. Defender Rich Balchan remains on the
disabled list.

“With two season-ending injuries, that didn’t help,” McCullers said. “We get to replace those
(injured) guys on the roster, but we can’t replace the money that’s being spent on them. I think it
was just an evaluation of what our options were to clear an international spot.“I think Shaun
Francis is a good young player, as I do the others. We would have preferred not to release
them."

Francis, Veeder and Perry were set to earn a combined base salary of $121,850 this season,
according to figures from the players’ union.

The moves signal that the Crew is serious about bringing in a designated player before the
transfer window closes July 27. After breaking off talks with its top candidate in Argentina, the
Crew has offered a deal to an undisclosed European attacker. McCullers said there will not be as
much negotiating as went into the last attempt.

“We’re pretty straightforward right now with what we are willing to do,” he said. “We’re not
trying to spend a whole lot of time negotiating or playing cat-and-mouse. If we feel the player is
a good fit, we’re going to put our best foot forward, our best offer forward and see if that’s a
deal that we can get put together.”

McCullers said the Crew is continuing to pursue players in South America, as well, and did not
rule out further moves before rosters are frozen on Sept. 14. Semi-guaranteed players must have
their contracts guaranteed by July 1.

“If we don’t (sign a designated player), I don’t think it’s the end of the world,” McCullers
said.

Francis, a native of Jamaica, was a fourth-round pick in the 2010 MLS draft. He appeared in 28
games, recording four assists. He entered the season as the projected starter at left back but lost
the job to Nemanja Vukovic.Veeder was acquired by the Crew via weighted lottery before the 2011
season. Perry was a second-round pick in the 2012 draft.

Neither Veeder nor Perry made an appearance with the club, other than in reserve-league
games.